Last year, other age groups also leaned towards Trump, but the shift among younger voters was the most pronounced. For 28-year-old Alex Dwyer, president of the Kansas Federation of Young Republicans, seeing the young DOGE team celebrated has been exciting. For much of his adult life, he felt that young people were overlooked in workplaces and at the government level. "DOGE is demonstrating that the value of our talents and skills is finally being recognized," Dwyer said.
In contrast, Sunjay Muralitharan, national president of the College Democrats of America, expressed skepticism that DOGE will attract more young people to the Republican Party and considered it an "unconstitutional threat to American democracy." Basil Smikle, a Democratic political strategist, pointed out the need to diversify the party's messengers to attract youth, warning that otherwise Republicans could capitalize on that weakness.
In the weeks following Trump's return to the White House, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Musk has rapidly infiltrated federal agencies. This group of young IT specialists has reshaped the government with few discernible limits and has obtained confidential taxpayer data, raising privacy concerns for some.
The rise of Musk's engineers among Republicans reflects how they gained ground among younger voters during the last election. Trump's Democratic opponent in 2024, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, won by a narrow margin among voters under 30, nearly half of whom supported Trump. The Republican strategy of highlighting young engineers seems to be effective in their political marketing strategy.
On the other hand, there have been young individuals who have made an impact on the Democratic Party, such as gun control activist David Hogg and federal representative Maxwell Frost from Florida. Democrats are also striving to attract youth, recognizing the importance of their participation in the party. In contrast, Trump's campaign succeeded in reaching young men concerned about the economy and discontent with feminist political advances and "culture wars."
The figure of Elon Musk and his DOGE technical team has generated mixed opinions, from praise for their talent to criticism over potential privacy issues. It is evident that the participation of young people in politics is gaining relevance in both parties, and the way party leaders manage this dynamic will be crucial for the future of democracy in the United States.
